Pressure vessels capable of withstanding elevated pressures have long been constructed of high strength, readily available materials such as stainless steel and the like. However, with the advent of expanded uses for pressure vessels, for example as in hyperbaric medicine, the desirability of having pressure vessels made of materials other than steel has increased. As in the case of hyperbaric medicine, and more particularly with hyperbaric chambers, it is desirable to have a hyperbaric chamber constructed in such a fashion that the patient attendant has good visual monitoring of the activities of the patient undergoing hyperbaric treatment. As such, it is desirable to have windows or view ports to accommodate such constant monitoring of the patient's progress during hyperbaric treatments.
Some prior art hyperbaric pressure vessels have utilized a basic stainless steel, tubular body section having a plurality of view ports to permit attendant visual contact with a patient within such a chamber, such as those units manufactured by Reneau, Inc. of Stafford, Texas and known as "The Reneau Unit".
On the other hand, other manufacturers of hyperbaric pressure vessels have chosen to manufacture hyperbaric pressure vessels utilizing cylindrical window sections that extend along the entire length of the pressure vessel, with such window sections being tightly secured between the end portions of the pressure vessel. Pressure vessels of this type are manufactured by Sechrist Industries, Inc. of Anaheim, California.
With the advent of the use of polymeric materials that are adapted to be formed into cylindrical window sections useful in hyperbaric chambers, it is desirable that such window sections be capable of being maintained in a sealable relation with the various components of the pressure vessel when at elevated pressures, while also being able to accommodate not only variations due to pressure differential but also variations to thermal gradients. Furthermore, with pressure vessels of the type that are formed of an entirely cylindrical window section, such as the Sechrist unit mentioned above, all connectible chamber utilities must of necessity be plumbed through the end portions of the chamber, as the structural integrity (and the related various pressure vessel code requirements) of the polymeric cylindrical window sections is not such that connections and utilities are capable of being plumbed through the cylindrical window section itself. Also, in view of the inability to form any types of openings through the walls of the cylindrical window section, there are no internal chamber mounting surfaces for mounting chamber utilities, such as patient handrails, supports for fluids (i.e., I.V.'s), mounting of electrical leads for electronic monitoring equipment and like medical apparatus. Furthermore, support for prior art cylindrical window section pressure vessels must come principally through the end portions of the pressure vessel rather than directly engaging the exterior surface of cylindrical window section itself; such engagement may cause localized stress concentrations and/or localized deformation, either of which may compromise the integrity of the pressure vessel.
Thus, so far as known, no pressure vessel mounting structure is available for sealably mounting a cylindrical window section so as to accommodate variations in pressure and temperature while permitting connection to all chamber utilities through a non-end portion mounting structure, while also providing internal mounting surfaces for securing internal chamber utilities therewith and while further providing a structure for supporting the pressure vessel separate and apart from the end portions thereof.